Lassie’s Tears can collar foes in Victorian Queen

​TORONTO, October 13 – Lassie’s Tears, a game winner while traveling 6 1/2 furlongs in her second start, will be looking to double up here Saturday in the $125,000 Victorian Queen Stakes.

The Victorian Queen, a six-furlong race, attracted a competitive field of nine Ontario-sired two-year-old fillies.

 “I think there’s some speed in there,” said Gail Cox, who conditions the homebred Lassie’s Tears for owner Craig Cameron. “My filly will be making a run.”

And, while Cox acknowledges that she would prefer a touch more yardage for Lassie’s Tears, she has high praise for the precocity which her filly has shown in her two appearances.

In her five-furlong opener, Lassie’s Tears rallied smartly to finish second behind fellow Victorian Queen contestant Silent Sinner when both were debuting here August 18.

“The race was just  too short for her,” said Cox. “She was very professional; she weaved her way between horses.”

Four weeks later, Lassie’s Tears returned to prevail by a neck with a rail-skimming rally.

“She stalked the pace, and squeezed through a tiny hole,” said Cox.

Gary Boulanger retains the mount on Lassie’s Tears.

Trainer Mike DePaulo, who will be seeking his fourth win in the Victorian Queen, will field a double-barreled threat here in Silent Sinner and Mega Monster

Silent Sinner led throughout that September 16 race, scoring by 1 1/2 lengths.

“She doesn’t have to go to the lead,” said DePaulo. “She broke good, and kind of kept cruising along.”

Silent Sinner will have a new rider here in Jesse Campbell.

Mega Monster won first crack out at 4 1/2 furlongs and then finished second, beaten a length, in the 5 1/2 furlong Shady Well Stakes for Ontario-bred two-year-old fillies on July 23.

“The first day back after that she seemed a little funny in her left shoulder,” said DePaulo. “We sent her for scintigraphy and everything was okay.

“So we gave her a little time, and pointed for this race.”

Luis Contreras retains the mount on Mega Monster. Her dam, Medabuck, won the Victorian Queen for trainer Terry Jordan in 2010.

She’s the Berries, who relocated here after just missing in her debut at Belmont over 5 1/2 furlongs of dirt, figures to attract plenty of support. The Brereton C. Jones-owned homebred  then finished fourth in the Nandi, a 5 1/2 furlong dash for Ontario-sired fillies, before graduating in a restricted six-furlong race here September 1. David Moran, in the irons for both local outings, retains the mount.

Rosemere is the only maiden in the lineup but also will be well-backed here.

Trained by Mark Casse, Rosemere debuted with a second-place finish behind Summer Sunday in the Nandi, a 5 1/2 furlong race for Ontario-sired two-year-old fillies. Summer Sunday came back with an impressive win in the Muskoka, a 6 1/2 furlong yearling sales stakes.

Rosemere’s next and last start was a runner-up finish in an open six-furlong maiden turf race under her regular rider Patrick Husbands.

Line of Vision, a debut winner at 6 1/2 furlongs for Joey Gee Thoroughbreds and trainer Andrew Smith, returned to finish a closing third in the Muskoka. Eurico Rosa da Silva takes over in the saddle.

Hatch Gate, yet another first-out winner but at six furlongs, finished fourth in the Muskoka for trainer Roger Attfield. Rafael Hernandez stays aboard.

Rounding out the field will be Without a Doubt and Miss Honeypotts, both of whom graduated at the $25,000 level.

Without a Doubt has come back with two solid third-place finishes at seven furlongs, the first in a turf race won by subsequent Mazarine Stakes winner Wonder Gadot and the latest behind the stakes-placed gelding Cooler Mike in a first-level restricted allowance on the Tapeta.

Miss Honeypotts, supplemented to the Victorian Queen at a cost of $2,500, completes the field.

Here is the field for the Victorian Queen Stakes in post position order:

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1. Miss Honeypotts – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Michael Doyle
2. She’s the Berries – David Moran – Brian Lynch
3. Silent Sinner – Jesse Campbell – Mike DePaulo
4. Line of Vision – Eurico Rosa da Silva – Andrew Smith
5. Lassie’s Tears – Gary Boulanger – Gail Cox
6. Mega Monster – Luis Contreras – Mike DePaulo
7. Without a Doubt – Alan Garcia – Ralph Biamonte
8. Hatch Gate – Rafael Hernandez – Roger Attfield
9. Rosemere – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse